I know I've been MIA, but between working 40-50 hours aweek and doing on-line classes full time, haven't had much lesiure time to myself. This includes hardly going out, part in due to saving costs and being too exhausted after a 16+ hour day.

Being sick a few days ago, I'm a firm believer in soups as cures or assisting tremendously in curing a cold. One of those soups are a Vietnamese concoction of Pho. Broth with rice noodles, and various meat products and vegetables. Of course I like this on those cold winter days as well.

Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce in partnership with “KOOZA” Cirque du Soleil is taking TASTE OF SANTA MONICA to new heights for its 8th annual food festival at Santa Monica Pier on Sunday, September 13th from 1:00 – 5:00pm.

This year’s TASTE OF SANTA MONICA will offer an extended live music performance and Sunset Happy Hour from 5:00 – 7:00pm. Your entrance fee includes live music, giveaways, chance to win “KOOZA” tickets, preferred prices to see “KOOZA” (www.cirquedusoleil.com/tasteSM),... Read More

It wasn't until we reached the top of the mountain and wound our way into the Big Bear Valley that I finally started to get excited. The view of the lake with moon beams lighting upon its glassy surface was enough to make me believe I was a 1000 miles away from the L.A. Basin. Although my love for those stately mountains is always compelling, there was another reason that dominated this particular trip up the mountain. Wine tasting. Yes! Rumor had it that Nottingham's Restaurant and Tavern was hosting a summer evening of wine tasting, dinner and song; and my husband and I couldn't wait... Read More

Most
chefs have a favorite dish. Mine,
unequivocally, is Steak Frites, a
classic and inexpensive dish that can be found in just about any café in
France. It is a simple preparation, my version
involving a thin piece of sirloin strip and French fries.

To
prepare Steak Frites, you take the meat and sear it on both sides in a really
hot pan, preferably cast iron. Use
either butter or olive oil as your fat. It cooks very quickly. You then
remove the meat, throw some finely chopped shallots in the pan, deglaze... Read More

Most
chefs have a favorite dish. Mine,
unequivocally, is Steak Frites, a
classic and inexpensive dish that can be found in just about any café in
France. It is a simple preparation, my version involving a thin piece of sirloin strip and French fries.

To
prepare Steak Frites, you season the meat with salt and pepper; then sear it on both sides in a really
hot pan, preferably cast iron. Use
either butter or olive oil as your fat. It cooks very quickly. You then
remove the meat, throw some finely chopped shallots... Read More

If you’re like myself, your learning style comes from watching demonstrate the something you are interested in doing. One of my passions is cooking, not baking. Yes there is a distinction. Baking take more accuracy and patients, neither of which I have much of these days.

Also if you’re like myself and taken an interest in a certain type of food or gotten all excited one day and bought something in excess thinking you’ll be using it all the time, it’s probably still sitting on your back shelf. One of those items was Besan flour. It is Chickpeas, or garbanzo... Read More

The Great American Food & Music Festival this past weekend at Shoreline Amphitheater was a total disaster, due primarily to the fact that its main organizer and supposed food visionary Ed Levine did a terrible job of organizing the event.
100's (maybe even thousands) of people left in disgust, due to no food, long lines and a plethora of other problems. Many demanded refunds and got them. It's amazing that a riot did not take place. Never in my entire life have I ever encountered such a fiasco, and I've been to a lot of these types of festivals. Most of them are quite well-run and very professional.... Read More

Recent Comments

This should pretty much give you a good boost to exercise. Superfoods + exercise (and proper hydration) = super you! However, if you still feel a bit sluggish even with proper diet and exercise, you should pay a visit to your doctor as there might be...

yeah nice post JaneK but apart from spinach and certainly a few other cheap to purchase foods good for you, bit frustrating price-wise. Take blueberries for instance,hellish expensive for small packets. Where i live there's an abundance of fresh veg...